The Grand Canyon Lopes will take on the Maryland Terrapins in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 21, 2025. GCU won a game in last year’s tournament and will look to repeat that performance with an opening-round win over the Terrapins here. But Maryland comes into this tournament with a ton of hype behind them and will try to avoid that upset in this 13-vs-4 matchup in the West Region.
Before Grand Canyon vs Maryland tips off, college basketball odds show Maryland as an 11.5-point favorite. The total for the game has been set at 149.5 points as plenty of offense is expected in this game. Here, we preview this matchup from Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle between the WAC champions and an at-large team from the Big Ten.
Grand Canyon Looks For Another First-Round Upset
The Grand Canyon Lopes won the Western Athletic Conference championship and earned its automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. GCU is appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year and will look to win a first-round game for the second season in a row after beating Saint Mary’s last year. To do that, the Lopes will look to speed up their opponents using their fast-paced attacking style.
This season, GCU ranks 14th in the country in adjusted tempo according to Kenpom. Despite playing an uptempo style, they are allowing just under 70 points per game on the year. That combination of pace and strong defense could make the Lopes a tough out once again in the first round of March Madness.
Maryland Looks to Crab Five In Tournament Opener
Maryland suffered a heartbreaking loss in their last outing, falling to Michigan at the buzzer in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament. The Terrapins took a one-point lead with just over five seconds left in that game, but they allowed a drive to the basket just before time expired to fall short of their goal of winning the Big Ten title. Here, Maryland is a high seed in their region and will look to get over their loss to Michigan in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Rebounding the basketball will be essential for Maryland if they are going to avoid a first-round upset in this tournament. The Terps were outrebounded 47-18 by Michigan in the semifinals of the tournament. While the Terps are not facing a team as physically imposing as Michigan here, they will still need to attack the glass with vigor to avoid a potential upset.
Grand Canyon vs Maryland Prediction
Grand Canyon +11.5 (-110) over Maryland
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Claim Bonus - GCU’s defense is excellent, allowing under 70 points per game on the year.
- The Lopes won a first-round game last season and they shoudl compete with Maryland in an attempt to do the same thing here.
